“@Kendricklamar WAS robbed, BUT he was not the only one who was robbed,” Arie wrote on her Tumblr page. “Though it’s called ‘Music industries biggest night’ the #Grammys are NOT about the music, it’s a popularity contest. The voting process allows people, to vote on name recognition alone – the music industry politics is a whole NUTHER conversation. Too much to go into here.”

“If the hip hop community voted on hip hop – r&b COMMUNITY the same – same for each category – we’d see winners that reflect the MUSIC ITSELF. We all know that’s just not the way it goes,” she explained. “NOW the BIGGER losers, are ALL of black music. Where was the black music community represented in last nights #Grammy show? Performers and Winners (or not) … Where were the black artists?”

“I don’t even get surprised any more, but, it still hits my sense of fairness, because I KNOW many of the artists who are overlooked. I LIVE in that world. We keep showing up and subjecting ourselves to the game, hoping MAYBE we’ll win. I was so HAPPY to see @Kendricklamar take that stage – because it is a FORM of winning, at LEAST, he was SEEN,” she added.

Arie also mentioned the lack of the Isley Brothers, who received a lifetime achievement award, but weren’t invited to perform.

“Why NOT televise the lifetime achievement awards of the Isley Brothers? SURELY they deserved to be on televised stage LAST NIGHT! While other artists were on stage TWICE?” she said.

In closing out her post, Arie gave props to black award shows like the BET and Image Awards, since the Grammys didn’t make mention of Nelson Mandela.

I find it interested that she did give props to the BET and Image Awards. For so many years, people have clowned both award shows, along with the Soul Train Awards, for not being “necessary” or “hood”. It seems as though til this day, it’s not a real award show unless it’s the Grammys or the Billboard Awards. But these black award shows have been paying tribute to black artists for years, but I guess it’s not enough? Or maybe white mainstream is still right?

On one hand, as a black person I am aware of Macklenmore’s white privilege. He’s white, hipster, gay ally so he quickly became the darling of white America and got the privileges that goes with it.

But on the other hand as I black woman should I really care about white folks stealing RnB, rap music and snubbing black rappers? Should I really care about a music genre that was and still is largely misogynistic, homophobic, violent and constantly uses the n-word? As a woman should I support that type of music just because it stems from the black community although it contains many elements that I actually despise and often “assault” me as a woman?

i do not agree with her at all instead of her lashing out at grammy committee she needs to lash out on these (black) rappers putting out filthy music over the airwaves. Though I am black I would rather my child listen to a white rapper who is creative with his rap rather than a black rapper whos music is filled with such hate and filthy lyrics. Every line they rap is plagued with the bword, nword and every cussword in the book. I like India but here is where she is wrong. What was so funny and it shows u just how stupid black rappers are is that they weren’t even invited to the grammys but all of them took post outside “the mansion” and partied their butts off. #just stupid. Rather than get themselves together they took post outside of an event and partied to an event they weren’t invited to..I look at black rappers with disgust.

I agree with you completely, but in the letter she is referring to Kendrick Lamar for the most part. His music isn’t like the other black artists out here, and I’m sure she is referring to the ones that actually WRITES music that is meaningful, real, and understanding.